Monday, February 9, 2015

This Cherry Berry Citrus Zinger is guaranteed to bring a smile to anyones face. Four simple ingredients make this "Love Potion" a sweet, tart, delicious, healthy drink. Smooth and creamy, with no added sugar...it just might induce feelings of happiness.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Nothing says I love you more than heart healthy dark chocolate. Loaded with antioxidants, these natural superfood treats will make your body and soul happy! Made with LOVE and pure ingredients, these easy to make chocolates are guilt free and delicious. If you like a little texture try making Dark Chocolate, Coconut, Almond Hearts of Joyor keep it simple with my Cacao Coconut Hearts. XOXO

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée is a decadent crowd pleasing dessert. It's simple to make and can chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When your ready to serve, sprinkle sugar on top and let your guest torch their own ramekins to caramelize the sugar. Makes a great gluten free alternative to pumpkin pie.

Have a lot of hungry people staying for the holidays? Impress your guests, by whipping up this ultra simple Apple & Walnut Breakfast Bread Pudding the day before. The next morning simply pop it in the oven and 45 minutes later, your friends and family will be singing your praises.Make your loved ones a hearty and healthy breakfast with My Sweet Potato Hash. Sweet potatoes cook up quickly and add more nutrition to your breakfast.This Vegetarian Pot Pie is comfort food at it's best. This recipe is so delicious, you might want to make two pies. Enjoy!

Monday, October 20, 2014

Warning! This is a HEALTHY Halloween post. It looks like a TRICK but your body will think it's a TREAT. As we approach Halloween, I'm preparing myself for the sugar-fest that will undoubtedly ensue. You can try to deny it but we both know your going to eat too much candy. Why not do something healthy for your body at the same time? Get a super charged healthy boost with my blood red Vampire Juice.

I feel terrible admitting this but my least favorite vegetable is the beet. However, beets and beet juice are excellent for you and I know I should add them to my diet. My solution was to juice them, that way I could gulp them down quickly. However it turns out, I love this juice. I'm not sure if it's the vibrant color, the kick of ginger, the earthiness from the root vegetables mixed with citrus. Whatever it is, I crave this blend whenever I need a boost.

Vampire Juice is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and is packed full of a wide range of anti-oxidants. Plus it has anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, energy and immune boosting properties.

Vampire Juice

Makes 1 serving

1 medium size beet - peeled and chopped

3-4 carrots - scrubbed and chopped

1-2 oranges - rind, pith and seeds removed (or see below)

1/2 lemon - rind, pith and seeds removed (or see below)

1/4-1/2 inch chunk fresh ginger

Pass all ingredients through a juicer. My latest technique for citrus is to cut them in half, then use my manual citrus juicer to extract the juice. Then add the citrus juices to the beet/carrot/ginger juice and stir to blend. Pour into a glass and enjoy as soon as possible.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Fall is officially here, which means the return of comfort food. Although it's still hot here in Los Angeles, I'm ready to crank up the oven and get in the spirit of the season. Pastitsio is a Greek baked pasta dish that combines ground beef with layers of noodles in a béchamel sauce. This recipe is a vegetarian spin off from traditional Pastitsio and it was one of my favorite meals growing up. For this recipe I used a textured vegetable protein in place of the ground beef. Another healthy vegetarian meat substitute is mushrooms. Simply pulse mushrooms in the food processor to give them a ground beef like consistency.

Vegetarian Pastitsio (Greek Style Pasta)4 servings

6 cups cooked macaroni1 lb textured vegetable protein (or use mushrooms & pulse in food processor)1/2 cup chopped onion1 can (6 oz) tomato paste1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon cinnamon2 eggs1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg1/2 cup mayonnaise1/4 cup flour2 cups milkHeat oven to 325 degrees.Cook macaroni al dente, drain and toss with a touch of olive oil to keep it from sticking. Set aside.Over medium heat, brown the textured vegetable protein and onion in a skillet with some olive oil. Turn off heat and stir in tomato paste, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the parmesan cheese, fresh ground nutmeg and stir to blend. Set aside.In medium saucepan, combine mayonnaise and flour and stir until well blended. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium/low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Do not boil. When sauce has thickened remove from heat and gradually stir in the egg and cheese mixture. Combine the cream sauce with the macaroni and stir until noodles are evenly coated with cheese sauce.Spray a 2 quart baking dish with olive oil spray and spoon 1/2 of the macaroni mixture into the bottom. Cover with the tomato/cinnamon mixture and then top with the remaining macaroni mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.Kali Orexi!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Drinking "green water" was normal for me as a child, everyone in my family drank it. Green water (aka chlorophyll) was easy to swallow and had a slight minty flavor. Even as a teenager, I knew that it had to be good for me, so I kept chlorophyll in my diet.The popularity for green drinks has risen in recent years, which means the intake of chlorophyll has also gone up through our increased consumption of greens. However, not many people know about liquid chlorophyll, which is a staple in my house.Chlorophyll is the common ingredient found in all green foods on land and in water. It's essential to all life and helps plants purify the air and raise oxygen levels. Chlorophyll has been referred to as the "blood" of plants, which is ironic since it has been shown to help increase the quality and quantity of red blood cells in humans.The molecular structure of chlorophyll is nearly identical to hemoglobin, which makes up about 75% of our blood. The only differences between the two is that chlorophyll has magnesium and hemoglobin has iron (both metallic atoms). When chlorophyll is ingested it can help do the job of hemoglobin to rebuild and replenish red blood cells and help boost our energy.Besides being an awesome blood builder, chlorophyll has additional health benefits such as detoxification, internal deodorizer and some say it can help in weight loss. I have only used the liquid chlorophyll and can only speak from my personal experience. Each person should do their own research before using any new health product. If you have any additional information to share, I would love to hear from you.To our health!